1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to trash compactors that use manually applied forces to obtain the necessary motive power for the movable platen thereof and particularly to a compactor that comprises a lever arm hinged to a trash container cover to move vertically relative to the cover for forcing one or two compacting arms down onto a compactor plate to compact the trash, wherein the lever arm, compacting arm(s) and compactor plate are pivotable into proximal parallel alignment for storage in proximity with the cover and move together with the cover to uncover the trash container to deposit or remove trash.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Many trash compactors operate by means of mechanical assistance by motors, screws, hydraulics and the like, which may require attachment to an electrical outlet with consequent energy consumption, and the risk of mechanical failure requiring servicing. Powerful mechanized compactor can be dangerous to limbs or appendages accidentally in the way of a compacting operation. Manually operated compactors have also been provided with complex mechanisms, which do not stow away within the container or cover when not being used.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,314,874, issued Nov. 13, 2001 to Martorella, claims a manual trash compactor having an adjustable arm and stabilizing blocks. The manual trash compactor is for use with a garbage can having an open top end and a closed bottom end. The compactor comprises a hood having an open top end and a bottom end that is attached to a top end of the garbage can. In addition, attached to the hood is a top or substantially closed surface wherein the top surface has at least one hole. There is also an adjustable arm that has a bottom end that is rotatably mounted on the top surface. The adjustable arm also has an opposite top end. Rotatably attached to the top end of the adjustable arm is a lever arm. A first end of the lever arm attaches to the adjustable arm while there is a second end that is spaced opposite the first end. Along the lever arm is a piston having a top end that is rotatably attached to the lever arm. The piston also has a bottom end that extends through the at least one hole in the top surface, with the bottom end extending into the garbage can. A compression plate is attached substantially perpendicular to the piston at the bottom end of the piston. Thus, to manually compress garbage in a garbage can, a user can close the top, and press down on the second end of the lever arm. This act rotates the adjustable arm and the lever arm so that the piston extends down, substantially perpendicular to the bottom end of the garbage can driving the compression plate onto the garbage and compacting the garbage between the compression plate and the bottom end of the garbage can.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,760,718, issued Sep. 25, 1973 to Adornetto, indicates a trash compactor for attachment to containers, such as a trash or garbage can, for compacting the refuse therein. The compactor attachment includes a plunger with a head for pressing against the deposited trash and a lever arrangement for applying successive increments of pressure to the plunger to compact the refuse engaged by the plunger's head.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,730,047, issued Mar. 24, 1998 to Lindsey, is for a portable refuse compacting container including a container for receiving a flexible refuse collection bag of the type typically known as garbage bags or leaf bags. Bulky refuse such as leaves, grass clippings and the like may be placed in the refuse collection bag where these materials are compressed by a compacting plate which is loosely received inside the container. The compacting plate is used to compress the refuse by an attached plunger arm which is affixed to the compacting plate and which is pivotally attached to a compaction lever. The compaction lever is pivotally attached to the edge of the top of the container. The compaction lever may be latched in place on the container. The container is provided with wheels for ease in moving either the full or the empty container from place to place. When the compaction lever is latched to the container, the handle of the compaction lever also serves as a handle for moving the container about on its wheels.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,294,211, issued Feb. 11, 1919 to Webley, illustrates a press adapted for use in connection with an ordinary cylindrical receptacle. The press comprises a pair of ears, means for clamping said ears in engagement with the exterior of the receptacle, friction pads carried by the receptacle engaging surfaces of said ears, a compressor follower, and operating means for said follower connected to said ears.
U.S. Patent Application No. 20030024419, issued Feb. 6, 2003 to Ernst, discloses a lid for fitting to an open-topped refuse container. The lid has a compacting mechanism that comprises a compacting plate mounted under the lid, a telescopically adjustable actuating rod mounted over the lid, and means slidably coupling the plate to the rod through an aperture in the lid such that the rod may be maneuvered from a storage position wherein the rod lies across the lid and the plate is drawn up under the lid to an operative position wherein the rod stands upright over the aperture and may be pushed downwardly through the aperture to push the plate down into the container.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,090,309, issued Feb. 25, 1992 to Lai, describes a waste container that includes a hollow body having an open top end, a cover detachably provided on the open top end, and a press member movably mounted on the cover and having a plate portion disposed horizontally inside the hollow body. The press member is vertically movable inside the hollow body to compress garbage inside the hollow body.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,779,157, issued Dec. 18, 1973 to Ross, Jr., concerns a receptacle for receiving, compacting, storing, segregating, and eventual disposal of the compacted trash. The receptacle comprises an outer holder, an inner removable disposable container, and an overlying combined funnel and cover. The funnel opens into the top of the disposable container. The cover is pivoted to the funnel so as to be swung outwardly therefrom, and is provided with a hole through which a manually actuated compactor or ram may be inserted for crushing the trash.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,050,373, issued Sep. 27, 1977 to Hellmann, provides a manual trash compactor that has a housing, which is adapted to receive therein an exchangeable bag for containing the trash with access means to gain entrance to the bag for depositing of trash within the bag. To compact the trash pressure applying means is provided with a plunger having a compacting head for engagement with the contents of the bag, with gripping means extending outwardly of the housing for moving the plunger axially to reciprocate the head in a compacting direction. Weighting means is associated with the pressure applying means to add weight to the compacting head, and exit means is provided on the housing to permit removal of the compacted bag.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,845,567, issued Dec. 8, 1998 to Fischer, shows a manual trash compactor that includes a box having an open top. The hand operated compactor assembly includes a compactor with a member integrally coupled thereto and extending upwardly therefrom for gripping by a user, whereby the compactor may be manually depressed within the box for allowing the compacting of trash therein.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,042,374, issued Aug. 27, 1991 to Klepacki, describes a trash receptacle compactor for compacting trash in a trash receptacle enclosed in a housing, including a plunger disposed within the housing in alignment with the trash receptacle and lever means outside of the housing and interconnected with the plunger for selectively operating the plunger to compact trash within the receptacle.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,649,813, issued Mar. 17, 1987 to Kehl, discloses a waste compactor apparatus for trash containers of the type with a top assembly having a frame and a pivoting door, which encloses a central opening of the frame. The compactor comprises a pivot means for the door including a pivot member and a socket which enable the door to be retained in its normal position by gravity, but which permits the door to be easily detached from the frame to enable it to be inserted into the trash container to compress material therein. Once the user has completed the compacting step, the door is re-engaged with the frame.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,331,074, issued May 25, 1982 to Behman, indicates a combined cover and compactor assembly that may be mounted on a container for trash or other compactable material which has a housing having at least one side wall defining a transfer and compacting chamber therein. The housing has a side opening located in the side wall serving as an inlet to permit the compactable material to be charged into the transfer and compacting chamber, and a lower end opening in registry with the transfer and compacting chamber. The housing is connectable to the container by a housing support that is adjacent and defines the lower end opening to allow compactable material charged into the transfer and compacting chamber through the side opening to either fall or be forced into the container. A retainer assembly including an upper end opening is disposed at the upper end of the housing to releasably support a compactor within the transfer and compacting chamber. The compactor may act as a cover when it is held by the retaining assembly, or may be disengaged from the retaining assembly to move downward to exert compacting force upon the compactable material present in the transfer and compacting chamber.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,128,055, issued Dec. 5, 1978 to Hellmann, puts forth a manual trash compactor that comprises a housing adapted to receive therein a bag having upstanding walls terminating in an open top for depositing the trash, and formed having a base with vertically extending panels extending upwardly from the base and terminating in an upper open end such that a rectangular configuration is formed to gain access to the housing. Pressure applying means for compacting the trash within the bag is provided with weighting means associated with the pressure applying means to increase the weight thereof to facilitate the compacting of the trash within the bag. Retaining means for releasably securing the open top of the bag within the housing during operation of the pressure applying means is utilized and comprises a plate operatively associated with each one of the panels to provide retention of the open top of the walls of the bag in fixed relationship to each one of the panels. Mounting means for pivotally securing each one of the plates with respect to one of the panels between an open position and a closed position is provided for permitting the bag to be removed from the housing in the open position and in the closed position compressing the upstanding walls of the bag against the panels. Latching means for releasably retaining each one of the plates in the closed position is provided such that the bag may be filled with trash.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,991,500, issued Feb. 12, 1991 to Knapp, illustrates a refuse compactor device that has a container housing having an open top end for holding a trash bag in which the bag mouth is in registration with and folded over the open top end of the container for receiving trash to be compacted. The compactor device further includes a compactor plate received within the container housing for manual movement from the open top end of the housing toward the bottom end of the housing to compress refuse material in the trash bag. The housing has ventilation apertures in its side wall and bottom to allow air trapped between the bag and the side walls of the housing to be expelled from the container. The compactor plate also has ventilation apertures to allow air included in the refuse to be expelled from the container as the plate is moved into the trash bag and housing. The compactor plate further has an opening to receive therethrough the mouth end of the bag for convenient closing of the bag mouth.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,658,720, issued Apr. 21, 1987 to Massonnet, provides a refuse bin incorporating compacting means wherein the compacting plate comprises two upwardly oriented tabs which are placed in housings in the lid to be slidably associated with a control member. Catches facing opposite each other and borne by said tabs come into slides in the control member embedded in a groove in the lid. In this way, by subjecting the control member to a translation, it may, at the end of a stroke, be pivoted with respect to the catches in order to orient it vertically with a view to vertically actuating the compacting plate.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,286,515, issued Sep. 1, 1981 to Baumann, shows a compacting wastebasket comprising a container closed by a lid for receiving and compacting waste paper. The compacting wastebasket includes a volume-occupying lid, which fits inside the container. The container defines a chamber large enough to accommodate individual pieces of waste to be deposited and compacted. The lid is retained in the container-closing position.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,115,736, issued May 26, 1992 to Rodolico, claims a compaction container for domestic solid waste. A cylindrical container is provided with a cover to be firmly fitted thereon having a bayonet coupling and supports for a lever multiplier to supply to a rack rod a force “n” times stronger than the one applied to the levers, the lever multiplier being integral with a cylinder which slides inside a housing with cuts fitted in the cover center to allow a constant compression according to the heap height; force is transmitted onto the waste to compress it with a piston, which is firmly connected with a nut to the lower part of the rack rod.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,929,060, issued Dec. 30, 1975 to Burke, puts forth a vehicle litter compactor for attachment to the interior of an automobile or the like for compressing accumulated litter in the vehicle. The compactor has a slidable piston mounted in an elongated case with an opening in one side of the casing. The piston is attached to a sliding shaft passing through one end of the casing and may be withdrawn past the opening for insertion of litter, and then the operator may push the shaft and piston to compress the litter in the opposite end of the casing. The casing has a removable end portion for removing the compacted litter.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,465,839, issued Mar. 29, 1949 to Bloomfield, is for a waste container that comprises an open top receptacle; an open top housing for the receptacle provided with a swingable lid for closing the top thereof; a plunger reciprocally carried by the lid for movement to and from a position in the waste receptacle to compress the waste therein; and springs attached to the plunger for holding the same inoperative above the top of the receptacle, said plunger having a head thereon substantially the same diameter as the receptacle. The head is disposed above the receptacle when in the inoperative position.
What is needed is an inexpensive, easy-to-use manual trash compactor which fits on any trash container with components that store out of the way in normal usage of the trash container and are easily manipulated for use in compacting the trash in the container.